Garden Show A Reminder That Spring Is Closing In

HARTFORD — — With snow in the forecast, it's hard to remember that spring is just a few weeks away. The Flower and Garden Show this weekend at the Connecticut Convention Center is a chance for many outdoor businesses to stir warm thoughts of yardwork and gardening.

The Garden Barn, a Vernon nursery and landscaping firm, doesn't sell plants at the show and the booth is more busy giving out $5 coupons than selling garden tchotchkes.

Still, it would be wrong to conclude that the cost of the booth rental is more than what they get out of the show. "We get to be seen by people that are farther away," says manager Kim Gliha.

Selling products this weekend isn't really the goal for the Garden Barn. Last year, a third of the coupons were redeemed, which Gliha thought was good.

Last year's attendance over the four days was 40,000. Gliha said she thought there was more traffic on opening day this year than on a typical garden show Thursday.

Over the last several years, the Garden Barn has had stable sales, Gliha said, which, compared to the national industry trends, "is pretty good."

In 2008, Americans spent $36 billion on lawns and gardens. In 2009 that figure fell to $30 billion, and by 2011 it was down to $29 billion. Average spending per household fell from $444 to $351 over that time.

Given those trends, and the fact that the majority of shopping has shifted to big box stores rather than local nurseries and hardware stores, reminding customers that you're around is worth a booth at the show.

Thoughts Of Spring

Carol Sauerhoff of Bethel visited the show for the first time because a friend invited her.

"I thought it sounded like fun on a wintry day," she said. She hadn't expected all the succulents on display by amateur gardeners, or the non-garden items, like fancy tote bags.

Sauerhoff no longer has a garden, but she fills her little deck with potted plants. "It brightens your day," she said.

There were plenty of scenes in the convention center to distract visitors from the exhaust-blackened snow banks that make Hartford less than a winter wonderland.

Pondering Creations had an elaborate burbling pond and landscaped garden.

Perennial Harmony created a landscape that included a Hobbit Hole playhouse, tucked under a hill of sod. The playhouse, made by a Maine company, is available through the Waterford landscaper.

Bright colors of blooming azaleas, daffodils and live butterflies, and the smell of mulch, were all there offering thoughts of spring.

There were even booths for items that can be enjoyed on bright wintry days. Four Season Sunrooms had a booth with pictures of sunrooms, including elegant Victorian-style conservatories, that could be added to your house.

A fellow vendor was drawn in, shooting pictures with his phone of the display. "I'd be the hero in my house if I got one of these sunrooms," he said.

Next to the sunroom display, Coca-Cola was running a raffle, giving away rain barrels made from the plastic barrels that bottling plants receive syrup ingredients in. The East Hartford plant goes through 50 barrels a week, and they're all repurposed in some way, either for rain barrels, recycling receptacles at large events or sent to another company. The rain barrels, which have a spigot handle on them, cost the company about $15 to make. They will give away 32 during the four-day weekend garden show.

Beth and Bob Yoon of Deerfield, Mass., had never come to the show before, but decided that attending on a day off from work "would make it feel like spring."

They said the show has definitely inspiring them to spend more on the garden this year.

"He's already made two trips to the car," Beth said. They bought decorations, dried pussy willows, and were looking for ideas on how to grow vegetables and plants without setting out a buffet for the deer.

"They love our hostas," Bob said. "Eat them right down to the nub."

The couple said depending on their final purchases, they expected to spend between $200 and $300 at the show.

Accidental Entrepreneurs

While Fran Adams is a long-time attendee, her company, Winding Drive Jams & Jellies, sponsored a booth at the show for the first time this year. She and Ron Pinto — her husband and business partner — weren't sure what to expect in sales, and were hesitant to say how much they'd need to sell to make the cost worth it.

The Woodbury couple were accidental entrepreneurs. When Ron was laid off in 2008, Fran suggested he sell her jelly at a local farmers market to give him something to do.

She continued to work in the insurance industry, but in 2010, she quit and spent money on a commercial kitchen.

"It's a lot easier than commuting to Hartford every day," she said, a drive that took an hour. When asked if she is able to pay herself as much as her corporate job, she barked a short laugh. "Are you kidding? No."

She said, "My overall health is a lot better, I spend a lot more time with my family. So there's tradeoffs."

Although they sell their gourmet jellies — with flavors like Cherry Ginger Amaretto and Habanero Gold — at dozens of gourmet shops and farm markets, more than half their sales are direct to customers, at farmers markets or online.

The Flower and Garden Show runs at the Connecticut Covention Center, 100 Columbus Blvd. in Hartford, on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $16 for adults, $4 for children under 12. Children under 5 get in free.